Seven signature dishes at hotel restaurants

Sometimes, great food on a vacation is closer than you think -- as in, right downstairs in the hotel restaurant. In fact, numerous iconic dishes of the 20th century were invented in hotel kitchens. Read on to find out which hotels might have been responsible for some of your favorite foods. Plus, we added in a few more modern takes that you just can't pass up.

Boston cream pie
Omni Parker House, Boston
Since Boston cream pie was first introduced almost 160 years ago at the Boston Parker House Hotel -- now the Omni Parker House -- the beloved dessert has inspired a boxed cake mix and a doughnut flavor -- and we're sure many other homemade interpretations as well. The layers of sponge cake filled with creamy custard and covered with chocolate icing were first known as "Parker House Chocolate Cream Pie," and though we know it now by a different name, the dessert is still proudly served at the hotel.

Shabu-shabu
Hotel Tomo, San Francisco
Originally introduced in Japan in the 20th century, shabu-shabu first made its way to the U.S. via the West Coast, and we've found one of our favorite renditions of the dish at Mum's at Hotel Tomo. Shabu-shabu -- which means "swish-swish" in Japanese and refers to the sound of meat in boiling water -- features thinly sliced beef in broth, with noodles and various vegetables. Diners are often served the ingredients raw and cook them at the table on personal burners.

Lobster Thermidor
Drake Hotel, Chicago
Lobster Thermidor contains lobster, butter and cheese -- um, yum. It's a menu staple at the Cape Cod Room in Chicago's Drake Hotel. Though the Drake didn't invent it, the indulgent French dish is a classic that harkens back to the grandeur of the early 20th century when the historic hotel was first built.

Peach Melba
The Savoy, London
Peach Melba -- the iconic preparation of peaches, vanilla ice cream and raspberry sauce -- was created as one chef's tribute to the opera singer Nellie Melba. Leading French chef Auguste Escoffier worked at London's Savoy, where Melba was a frequent guest, when he dreamt it up. Inspired by her performance one night, Escoffier presented Melba with peaches over vanilla ice cream served in an ice sculpture of a swan. Now that's what we call classy! Raspberry sauce was an extra touch he added to the recipe later on.

Eggs Benedict
The Waldorf-Astoria, New York City
If one stockbroker's claims are to be believed, eggs Benedict was always meant to be the quintessential brunch food after a night of drinking. According to the New Yorker's story, Wall Street man Lemuel Benedict went into the Waldorf-Astoria in search of food to nurse his hangover. That sustenance ended up being buttered toast, poached eggs and crisp bacon with a pitcher of Hollandaise sauce. There are differing accounts, though, and Delmonico's Restaurant in New York also lays claim to the dish.

The brownie
The Palmer House Hilton Hotel, Chicago
Sleepovers, birthday parties, school lunches and late night snacking would not be the same without the brownie. The all-American baked good was created at the Palmer House Hotel in Chicago, at the request of the hotel owner's wife Bertha Palmer. She tasked the hotel's kitchen to create a dessert for the lunch boxes of women attending the Chicago World's Columbian Exposition in 1893. The Palmer House Hotel still serves the original "Bertha's Famous Brownie" at its Lockwood Restaurant.

The True Japanese 100% Wagyu Beef Rib Eye
Beverly Wilshire Beverly Hills - A Four Seasons Hotel
Wolfgang Puck's CUT restaurants are renowned for their premium selections of beef, and the outpost at the Beverly Wilshire in particular is sought out for its Wagyu beef rib eye cut that hails from Miyazaki Prefecture, Kyushu. Servers showcase the raw cuts of meat so diners can select just which piece they'd like, which can be topped with various condiments such as blue cheese and caramelized onions, and served alongside delicious sides.